Posted By
Kayla Zay
On
November 16, 2012 @ 1:05 am
In
Game On,Review,Strategy |
No Comments

[1]

Nice for a quick diversion, but it won’t keep you coming back.

Entertaining and fun for awhile, Cradle of Rome still fizzles for many, but would be ideal for the intellectual problem-solver in your home.

A revamp of Bejeweled[2], Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome 2 puts a new perspective on a successful brand from the ’90s. In this sequel to Cradle of Rome, you are given a task in the game to build the once great Roman civilization[3].

The game is based on timing and matching three or more “jewels.” In each level, different elements are matched including wood, hammers, water and more[4].

Once you successfully beat each puzzle game, you are rewarded with money, food or valuable resources to build various objects including wells and villages and food to preserve your citizens. Gameplay is easy — until your timer runs shorter as you advance in the game. By level four, you have to match all the squares with their distinctive markings, and also have to remove any blocks that are shaded in blue. This adds to the difficult by level eight. The game does let you build up tools to destroy blue blocks, which help if you are at the end of your timer.

It reminds me or a revamped version of Command and Conquer[5] mixed with a bit of Dungeons and Dragons[6]. It even has a flare of The Sims[7]. The gameplay makes building your empire more of a treat than a plot to the game and it is mostly placed on the lower touchscreen. All puzzles are done with your stylus and cut scenes are located on your upper screen.

Overall, the game was entertaining and kept my attention during a lunch hour or at home (when I didn’t feel like playing a RPG), but essentially fizzles in plot.

Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome 2 was released on June 26 for Nintendo 3DS. Rated E10+